Listening to MP3s on Tube is 'worse for your hearing than using a building site drill'

train busy LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 05: Commuters board a carriage at Bank London Underground station on March 5, 2012 in London, England. London's underground rail system, commonly called the tube, is the oldest of its kind in the world dating back to 1890. It carries approximately a quarter of a million people around its network every day along its 249 miles of track and 270 stations. The network has undergone several years of upgrade work and refurbishment in preparation for the Olympic Games which take place this summer. During this time the tube is expected to carry millions of visitors to and from the Olympic Parks. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Dan Kitwood/Getty

Listening to music on the Tube can cause as much damage to your hearing as operating a drill on a building site, new research has revealed.

A study into the noisiest jobs in the UK has found that people who listen to MP3 players on their commute need to crank the volume up to 100 decibels (dB) to hear it over the rumble of the London Underground.

The result is a sound louder than that of the hammer drill, which produces an ear-splitting 120dB but is only operated by construction workers who wear earmuffs.

Peter Wilson, technical director at Echo Barrier which carried out the research ahead of International Noise Awareness Day, said: “Loud workplaces are usually blamed for causing the majority of hearing problems in workers but most people who work in a noisy environment protect their ears and take regular breaks.

“Those who set the volume too high on their iPods really need to take note. Millions of Londoners take the Tube to and from work, sometimes journeys up to an hour each way, and during that time they are blasting 100dB into their ears which is extremely unhealthy.”

He said the research to identify the noisiest jobs in the UK had identified 10 occupations where noise posed a serious health problem.

Top of the list was the airport ground staff who direct jet engines in landing and take-off and are subjected to 140 decibels (dB) of sound in one go.

Close behind are Formula One Drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, who, when seated in the cockpit right in front of the engine deal with noise levels reaching 135 dB.

At number three are construction workers, followed by barmen work and musicians – including famous singers and band members – who are exposed to around 110dB on stage during concerts and rehearsals.

Motorbike couriers, factory workers, farm hands and teachers were also found to be at risk of excessive noise at work.

Mr Wilson said: “Working for years in a noisy job significantly increases the risk of serious hearing difficulties.

“Workers can lessen the risk by protecting ears with earplugs or other hearing protection devices at all times but employers need to be aware of how damaging noise pollution can be – and not just for their employees.

“Noise pollution can also have a devastating effect on people who come into contact with a noisy place of work – such as a building site. It can cause headaches, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, depression and insomnia.

“As a company, we provide acoustic barriers which significantly lessen the impact of such noise pollution on the local community.”

Figures from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work suggest occupational deafness caused by exposure to high noise levels at work is one of the most prevalent forms of ill-health in the United Kingdom.

It estimates that over two million people in the UK are regularly exposed to loud noise at work and about 1.1 million are exposed to levels above 85 dB, where there is a significant risk to health.

Two thirds of Europeans – 450 million people – are exposed every day to noise levels that the World Health Organisation (WHO) says are unacceptable.